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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29146386">Chapstick</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScrawlingStories/pseuds/ScrawlingStories'>ScrawlingStories</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life Is Strange (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, No Storm/Everything's Normal AU, Study Buddies, Warren is a little shit, also I tagged this teen Purely for Nathan's potty mouth but /shrug, but like in a good way, i guess lol, look I just wanted fluff okay lol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:41:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,088</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29146386</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScrawlingStories/pseuds/ScrawlingStories</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>So this was a little thing I wrote allllllll the way back in 2015, aka before I ever had an Ao3 account, but since I'm back in a deep LiS mood again for reasons unknown I decided to post this over here because it still makes me happy all these years later, so~ =w= Enjoy~! </p><p>Just a little tooth-rotting fluff about a couple of sassy dorks trying to do homework together and the unintentional allure of yummy-smelling lip care products~</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Warren Graham &amp; Nathan Prescott, Warren Graham/Nathan Prescott, yes both of them lol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Chapstick</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  “What is that smell?”</p><p>  Nathan’s nose wrinkled as he caught another whiff of the mystery scent that had suddenly appeared in his room that day. It wasn’t a bad smell—in fact it smelled pretty good—but Nathan couldn’t place it for the life of him. It was kind of a girly, sweet smell, but the only girl who had been in his room lately was Victoria, and she only ever wore that expensive shit that burned Nathan’s nose whenever he got too close.</p><p>  "What smell?“ Warren asked as he looked up from where he was bent over his physics assignment on Nathan’s floor. He’d become familiar with the spot ever since Nathan had hired him as a tutor, sitting criss-cross on one of the pillows he’d borrowed from the couch. Warren tipped his head to sniff the air a few times, but nothing struck him as odd.</p><p>  "It smells like… I dunno, fucking sugar cookies or something.” Nathan narrowed his eyes as he leaned down closer to Warren, his mattress creaking quietly in protest of the movement. “Are you hoarding snacks from me in my own damn room again, Graham?”</p><p>  Warren snorted a laugh and leaned back against the bed frame to meet Nathan’s eyes. “Are you kidding me? After that time I brought that mini bag of doritos and didn’t think to share? You acted like you legitimately wanted to strangle me. Never again,” Warren vowed, raising one hand and placing the other over his heart like his words actually meant something. Nathan didn’t quite believe him.</p><p>  "Then whatthefuck is it? Are you experimenting with wearing perfume again, <em>‘for science?’"</em> Nathan mocked, immediately feeling a flash of amusement from the look on Warren’s face.</p><p>  "Hey, that was a one-time experiment!“ he defended, turning to face Nathan fully. "And it <em>was</em> for science, no air quotes, you ass.” Nathan smirked again, and Warren glared at him. They sat in a silent stalemate until Warren sighed and rolled his eyes, and Nathan would never admit to how triumphant he felt every time he won one of their standoffs. At least nowadays they consisted mostly of glares and harsh words instead of fists and headbutts… “Actually, the smell’s probably my chapstick, now that I think about it.”</p><p>  "Why the hell do you have sugar cookie-flavored chapstick?“</p><p>  "First of all, it’s <em>cake batter,"</em> Warren laughed, digging into one of his pockets and pulling out a small tube. “And my lips were chapped, like, <em>really</em> bad the other day when I was out walking with Max so she let me borrow hers, and then I kinda got obsessed. Smells way better than the plain stuff I used to use.”</p><p>  "So it’s <em>Caulfield’s,“</em> Nathan growled, feeling himself tense at the mere mention of her name. It wasn’t really his fault; if the hipster tryhard was going to be so nosey and annoying, she had to expect it would piss some people off. Especially the ones that got pissed off by nearly <em>anyone,</em> let alone the ones that didn’t know how to mind their own business.</p><p>  "It <em>was,</em> but she said she never used it. It was just her backup in case she lost her berry one,” Warren explained, turning the small tube over in his hands. “She said she wasn’t even really a fan of the smell—can you believe that?”</p><p>  Nathan couldn’t suppress a snort. <em>She’s stupider than I thought if she can’t even recognize what smells good or not.</em> “What the fuck is with her? It smells great to me,” he grunted as he went back to his worksheet, eager to get their conversation off of Max before he got too worked up and angry.</p><p>  The smell suddenly became stronger as Warren popped the cap off of the tube and began reapplying it. Nathan glanced over as the balm slid over Warren’s lips, leaving them shinier and—was it just the lighting or were there fucking sparkles in it? “The only downside,” Warren went on, “is that sometimes I end up licking my lips too much because of the flavor and then I have to put more on like every 5 minutes.” He rubbed his lips together to make sure both lips were fully covered, making a small <em>pop!</em> when he finished.</p><p>  "Thanks for the information I never fucking asked for,“ Nathan grumbled, going back to his work. "Now, if you’re done yapping about your stupid lip habits, will you help me with this damn problem number eight? You know, <em>like I hired you to?”</em></p><p>  Warren raised his hands in playful surrender and turned his physics book back to the page they needed. Nathan scooted his papers farther down the bed so that he could rest on his side and still let Warren see his worksheet. Warren called the problem “super easy” under his breath and Nathan threatened to hit him, but he’d chosen him as his tutor for a reason. He hung out with Caulfield and was a typical geeky-nerd most of the time, but Warren was also super smart—and most importantly of all, he was a good mentor. He was patient, unfazed by the things Nathan would spit at him when he got stressed over not understanding something, and always had at least seven different ways of explaining something so that Nathan would eventually understand.</p><p>  Not that Nathan cared about his grades in particular. His dad would just bail him out with threats or bribes to the school if he ever did too badly, because he couldn’t allow his “teen-rage” to mar the precious Prescott name. But, that had become precisely the problem: Nathan’s father <em>had</em> grown tired of Nathan’s less-than-satisfactory grades and threatened to cut him off from the family bank account if he didn’t straighten up, so now Nathan had to bust his ass to bring up his grades or suffer the consequences. And that’s where nerdy-ass Warren Graham came in to save the day like the white knight he always tried to be.</p><p>  The sweet smell hit Nathan again as Warren began explaining what the problem was actually asking for, and Nathan found himself struggling to concentrate. <em>Man, when even was the last time I had a sugar cookie…</em> He rolled his eyes and sighed at himself, but Warren mistook it as being directed at him. “What? Do you need a different explanation?” Nathan shook his head, turning his eyes back to his paper and telling himself to <em>focus, dammit!</em> as Warren went back to speaking after a moment’s hesitation. But the smell was stronger now that Nathan had moved closer, and his eyes wandered to Warren’s lips again, watching them move as he tuned out the words they were actually making. There <em>were</em> sparkles in the damn chapstick, and they kept catching the light in <em>just</em> right way to make Warren’s lips shimmer with every small movement. It pissed Nathan off.</p><p>  “…umm… Nathan?” Warren’s voice finally cut through his thoughts, his expression slightly confused and appearing much closer than it ever needed to be. Nathan immediately pulled back out of Warren’s space, not realizing he’d leaned so far forward as he spaced out. “Are you feeling okay?”</p><p>  “Why the fuck wouldn’t I be?” Nathan snapped back on instinct, scribbling down a few numbers on his paper like he actually knew what he was doing.</p><p>  “Well, you just seem…” Warren said thoughtfully, brows furrowed over his concerned eyes that searched Nathan’s profile, “I dunno, <em>off.</em> You keep zoning out and stuff. I know physics is boring to you, but you’re not usually <em>this</em> unable to focus.”</p><p>  “It’s nothing,” Nathan said through gritted teeth, refusing to meet his eyes. Like he was going to tell him,<em> ‘Oh, I just keep getting lost in the smell of your chapstick and the way it makes your lips reflect the light, no biggie.’ Fuck.</em> Like hell he would admit to that. It would probably give Warren the wrong idea, and Nathan didn’t want that when they’d only just recently gotten onto mostly-good terms. </p><p>  “Are you sure?” <em>Damn your caring nature to hell, Graham.</em> “I know you like to act tough and stuff to keep up your image or whatever, but if you’re sick or hurt or something then you need to get it taken care of.” Nathan didn’t answer, too focused on trying not to completely snap and lash out at him. “Let me check your temperature at least.”</p><p>  “Lay a hand on me and I will gut you,” Nathan growled, cutting his eyes to him as Warren shifted up to his knees to face him. The other teen paused for a moment before a grin split his face, and Nathan felt that sinking feeling in his stomach that he’d somehow fucked up his wording. Warren always had been a pest about loopholes and fine print, the bastard.</p><p>  "Fine, I won’t use my hands,” Warren promised, the cloyingly impish tone making Nathan even more anxious as Warren leaned in closer to make sure his next words gave off the proper effect. “Lips are better for judging temperature anyways~”</p><p>  Nathan sat dumbfounded for three whole seconds before lurching to sit up and away from Warren and his glittering eyes and stupid fucking <em>sparkling</em> lips. “Fuck off, <em>Gay</em>ram.”</p><p>  Warren snickered at the nickname that had long since lost its bite, shifting Nathan’s papers to the side to avoid crumpling them as he joined him on the mattress. “No, really, they are. And you said <em>no hands,</em> so~”</p><p>  "Lips are even fucking worse, asshole!“ Nathan snapped, now more annoyed than anything because he knew Warren was enjoying pushing his buttons. "Plus you’ve got fucking chapstick on. I don’t want that shit on my forehead!”</p><p>  Warren rolled his eyes, already getting tired of game he himself had started mere moments ago. “Oh my god, dude, why are you getting so defensive about this? Will you just let me check your temperature so we can get back to work?”</p><p>  "How about you <em>drop</em> the subject of my temperature all together and we get back to work<em> five minutes ago?“</em></p><p>  "Because <em>I</em> won’t be able to focus on tutoring if I’m preoccupied with thinking about if you have a fever or not, and that will do nothing but waste <em>both</em> our times.”</p><p>  <em>You know, the same way you can’t focus on learning anything because you’re too busy thinking about his lips.</em> Nathan sneered at the honesty in both Warren’s statement and his own thought, resenting the both of them in that moment. <em>Damn it all.</em> “Fine,” he muttered through gritted teeth, not missing the flash of triumphant surprise that passed over Warren’s face, “a quick check, then back to work. But <em>no</em> lips, fuck-all.”</p><p>  <em>“And</em> no hands?”</p><p>  Nathan thought for a brief moment, then smirked. “Yep. Still no hands either.” <em>How ya gonna check now, huh? Stick your elbow on my face?</em> But that unnerving smile had come back to grace Warren’s lips, and Nathan again felt like he’d been duped into something by the rules he himself had made.</p><p>  "All right, but you gotta hold still,“ Warren cautioned, and Nathan rolled his eyes once more before pointedly leaning forward, presenting his damn forehead for temperature reading. <em>Fucking ridiculous.</em> He just wanted to finish his stupid physics assignment. The grin transformed into a smirk as Warren leaned forward as well—<em>really</em> far forward—until their foreheads were touching. Nathan instinctively leaned back, but Warren’s hand on the back of his neck stopped him, the other bracing against his shoulder for balance.</p><p>  "Fucking—<em>hands,”</em> Nathan nearly spat, suddenly very much overwhelmed by Warren deciding to <em>become</em> his personal space bubble. <em>Whatthefuck what the fuck what the FUCK. </em>The smell of sug—<em>cake batter</em> instantly filled Nathan's senses, nearly making him dizzy.</p><p>  "You only said no hands on your <em>forehead,“</em> Warren pointed out cheekily, forehead still pressed against Nathan’s as he voiced his stupid loophole. They were so close that Nathan could almost feel his lips moving, mere centimeters from his own. </p><p>  "W-what the fuck is <em>this</em> then? Other than <em>entirely uncalled for,</em>” Nathan managed to grit out, feeling his nerves rising beneath his skin. Warren breathed out a soft laugh, the warm puff of air ghosting over Nathan’s lips, and Nathan momentarily forgot how to breathe, knuckles turning white as his hands gripped each other in his lap.</p><p>  "A Doctor Graham family secret~ This is how my grandma always checks my temperature; kinda unconventional, but she’s never been wrong yet,“ Warren explained like it was a completely commonplace occurrence, gently rocking his head from side to side against Nathan’s forehead to test the temperature as a whole. Nathan’s chest ached, and he closed his eyes as he forced vanilla-scented air back into his lungs. "You might be a little warm, but not fever-warm. Probably overheating from the physics problems, right~?”</p><p>  His lips were so close that Nathan could practically feel his dumb smile, stretching across his stupid chapstick-glossed lips that Nathan couldn’t even see because of how close he was. But he could see them perfectly in his mind that was swirling with the scent of vanilla and sugar. Pink and fucking sparkling and cookie-scented and only millimeters away… probably really warm, probably really soft… <em>probably really kissable…</em></p><p>  Nathan's head tipped only slightly, but even that was enough to feel Warren’s lower lip brush against his own, the contact sending a spark through Nathan’s entire body. He immediately reeled back again, eyes snapping open like he’d actually been shocked, but Warren’s hand once again kept him from going too far. Nathan met Warren’s eyes, wide and surprised and blinking rapidly for a few moments, as he felt the panic beginning to rise inside of himself. Nathan knew he must have looked like a deer caught in headlights, because that was <em>definitely</em> how he fucking felt as Warren processed what had just happened. <em>Why the fuck did I just do that??</em> </p><p>  But instead of getting angry or otherwise outwardly upset, Warren’s eyebrows drew together slowly and a smile quirked his lips, and Nathan for some reason almost felt like that was somehow worse. “Nathan,” Warren said slowly, almost carefully, and it was only at that point that Nathan felt himself shaking, if only slighty, “if you wanted some of my chapstick, all you had to do was ask.”</p><p>  Now it was Nathan’s turn to blink and process. “...What? I didn—” That train of thought crashed and burned as quickly as it started when Warren leaned forward to press their lips together. It was soft and gentle and definitely hesitant, but he held it for a few moments before pulling back again. Beneath the rest of the chaos screeching like a whirlwind in his mind, Nathan idly registered that he was right about Warren’s lips being warm and soft. When his eyes opened again, he saw Warren looking at him almost sheepishly, the lightest dusting of pink across his cheeks.</p><p>  "I… uh, I hope that was okay,“ he said, clearing his throat softly and glancing away. His tongue peeked out over his lips for a moment, and Nathan couldn’t remember how to make words happen. Warren’s warm brown eyes met his again, and his voice was tentative as he spoke his next words. "Did you get enough chapstick?”</p><p>  A single breathy laugh escaped Nathan at that, and Warren giggled—fucking <em>giggled</em>—under his own breath at the reaction. Nathan pressed his lips together in response to the question, running almost on autopilot as he still fought to gain control of his own brain again, and felt only the slightest bit of residual chapstick slickness there. He bit his lower lip thoughtfully, consciously making the decision for himself this time even as cake batter still enveloped his senses. “I…” he cleared his throat, willing himself to actually say the next few words, “I think I might need a little more, actually.”</p><p>  He felt his face undoubtedly turn a shade darker, but Warren only beamed at him in equal parts surprise and relief and leaned in again. This time Nathan managed to actually kiss him back, pressing up into the kiss that was only slightly less gentle than the first. Warren pulled back again after a long moment, a shy smile on his face, but Nathan could sense his hesitation fading—along with his own. “How about now?”</p><p>  Nathan rubbed his lips together again, more for show than anything else, and his eyes wandered to Warren’s lips. They had lost most of their sparkle, and the air between the two of them now smelled only faintly of vanilla. <em>Well if this is what we’re playing at…</em> “I don’t think <em>you</em> have enough right now, actually.”</p><p>  Warren pursed his lips, to which Nathan pointedly raised an eyebrow, and that sent Warren snickering again as he dug back into his pocket. He uncapped the small tube, watching Nathan’s eyes follow the motion of chapstick gliding across his lips as a fresh wave of cake batter scent filled the air. Warren smacked his lips together with another audible <em>pop!</em> and looped his arms around Nathan’s neck, dropping the chapstick somewhere on the mattress as Nathan braced his hands against Warren’s thighs to steady him.</p><p>  But when Nathan began leaning forward to meet him, Warren’s hand found the back of his hair again and tugged, just enough resistance to keep him held in place. Nathan’s eyebrows furrowed questioningly, but he obediently stayed still as Warren closed the distance between them. Instead of another kiss though, this time Warren kept his lips light, almost teasing as he slowly traced Nathan’s lips with his own. An impatient whimper escaped Nathan’s throat after the third time around, fingers digging into the denim over Warren’s thighs. Warren finally relented his teasing at such a polite request, releasing Nathan’s hair and <em>finally</em> bringing their lips together once more.</p><p>  Nathan surged upwards against him immediately, feeling the fresh layer of chapstick fully coat his lips as they easily moved in time with Warren’s. “Fucking asshole,” he managed to breathe out between kisses, not missing Warren’s breathy laugh before he leaned farther forward to deepen the kiss. Nathan’s hands moved up to curl around his hips, and Warren’s breath hitched slightly in his chest, making Nathan smirk. It vanished in the next moment as Warren’s teeth found his bottom lip, pulling a breathy sigh from Nathan's lungs, and then Warren’s hands tangled deeply in his hair and tongues started getting involved and suddenly Warren was in his lap and <em>holy shit</em> Nathan’s head was <em>swimming.</em></p><p>  They broke for air, Warren trailing open-mouthed kisses along Nathan’s jaw and down his neck as Nathan absently massaged circles against his hipbones, and Nathan vaguely wondered how far this was going to go as Warren’s lips met his again—just as <em>La Cucaracha</em> suddenly began blaring from Warren’s phone at full volume. Both boys jumped in surprise, teeth clacking together painfully, and Nathan slammed back on his mattress with a stream of choice obscenities at the spike of pain as Warren clambered off of the bed and towards his phone as quickly as he could, muttering about <em>‘I swear I put it on fucking vibrate oh my god.’</em></p><p>  Warren finally found his phone half-hidden under a pile of forgotten physics papers and turned off the alarm, feeling awkwardness settle as heavy in the room as the silence that followed. Nathan still had a hand clasped around his injured mouth as he watched Warren tenderly rub his own upper lip and wince. “It—uh,” Warren began to explain sheepishly, voice muffled by his fingers, “I kinda have another thing planned to go to, right after our… study session.”</p><p>  The sheer awkwardness in his voice brought a smile to Nathan’s aching lips, and he slowly sat back up on his mattress. “Well, don’t let me keep you then, <em>Mr. Popular,”</em> he replied, inwardly surprised at how normal his own voice sounded, as he gathered his papers that had ended up crumpled in the end. Warren didn’t respond, and Nathan looked over to see him standing frozen to the spot and staring at him curiously. “What?” he asked, running a hand self-consciously through his now-messy hair and looking away.</p><p>  “…Nothing,” Warren answered, crouching down to gather his own spread of things from Nathan’s floor and stick them all back into his bookbag. He pulled the zipper shut and hesitated for a few moments before speaking again. “Sorry we didn’t get much physics done today,” he said, voice straining to sound normal and failing. “You don’t have to pay me for this session if you don’t want to, since… well, since I didn’t exactly do my job so well.”</p><p>  Nathan hummed quietly, a smirk growing on his face as he rested his chin in his palm. He ran his eyes pointedly up and down the nerdy boy he had been spontaneously making out with mere minutes before. That felt so strange to think about—so he didn’t. “Really? I was thinking about doubling it, actually~”</p><p>  Warren’s cheeks flushed and a laugh bubbled up from his chest as he covered his face. “Oh my god, dude, <em>stop,”</em> he warned playfully, the awkward air somehow fully broken again as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and pulled his sneakers on. “But seriously, if we need to schedule another study session between now and the next to catch up, just let me know.” He paused, adjusting his bag and sending a wry smirk in Nathan’s direction. “An <em>actual</em> study session, though~”</p><p>  Nathan returned his smirk, but his stomach suddenly lurched as Warren moved towards the door. “Wait!” he called out, and Warren paused with his hand on the handle, giving him a questioning look. “Can you…” Nathan felt his nerves snowballing by the second, wringing his hands in his lap as his eyes flickered around his room anxiously. “C-can you not tell anyone about this?” he asked, voice suddenly small and uncertain and—almost afraid? He met Warren’s eyes—wide, unsure, <em>vulnerable</em>—and swallowed. “Please?”</p><p>  “Tell them what?” Warren asked, and the thick layer of anxiety evaporated instantaneously as Nathan immediately wanted to strangle the smug smirk right off of that stupid nerdy face. “All I did was let you borrow my chapstick.” And with that, Warren shot a final grin at a very dumbfounded Nathan before leaving the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Nathan simply stared at the back of his door for a few moments before allowing himself to collapse backwards on his mattress and press his palms against his eyelids. Well, <em>that</em> sure had been an experience he hadn’t expected to have—<em>ever.</em></p><p>  He dragged his hands down his face and over his still-throbbing lips, and he felt the trail of chapstick leading down his jaw to his neck. <em>Fucking—God damn it, Warren, this is exactly what I wanted to a v o i d,</em> he thought petulantly as he scrubbed at the residue with his sleeve before deciding to give up. He was going to take a shower later anyways. He dropped his arms in defeat and hit something small and hard with his right hand. The chapstick.</p><p>  Nathan pursed his lips as he held the tube up for scrutiny, narrowing his eyes threateningly at the inanimate object. “This is all <em>your</em> fault, you know,” he told it. Unsurprisingly, it didn't respond. Nathan shook his head after a few moments and popped the cap off to smooth some of the balm over his swollen lips. The smell was still strong, but now it had a comforting element to it, a string of past memories connected to it that brought a small smile to Nathan’s face. He rolled over and grabbed his phone from among the mess of his sheets, scrolling through his contacts until he found the one he needed.</p><p>        Nathan [3:08 PM]: u left ur fukin chapstick behind dipshit</p><p>    <em>Warren [3:08 PM]: Did I really?</em><br/>
<em>    Warren [3:08 PM]: Oh well. No worries.</em><br/>
<em>    Warren [3:08 PM]: I guess I’ll have to swing by &amp; pick it up later</em></p><p>Nathan bit the inside of his cheek, trying and failing to keep the stupid smile from his face.</p><p>        Nathan [3:09 PM]: guess u will<br/>
        Nathan [3:09 PM]: hope i dont lose it or smth by then right</p><p>    <em>Warren [3:09 PM]: Or use it all, because you love the smell of “sugar cookies” so much.</em></p><p>        Nathan [3:10 PM]: i fuckin might. dont test me nerd</p><p>    <em>Warren [3:10 PM]: Save some for me, huh?</em><br/>
<em>    Warren [3:11 PM]: ;)</em></p>
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